My dear readers,

The High Cost of Face Saving!

Proverbs 12:9: “He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.”

It is said that a rich man who lost his wealth chose to keep his expensive car and sell his house and downgrade to a rental home to maintain his appearance of wealth. The saving-face factor in life is a global phenomenon, for it stems from the pride of life in man, which is part of the sinful nature. Sinful men cannot help themselves but save face at any cost, including lying, cheating, ruined relationships and starvation.

Have believers overcome this sin of pride completely?

Even after salvation, and the sinner has become a new creature in Christ, the sin of the pride of life is still very much alive in him because he serves Christ in this earthen vessel that is susceptible to temptations and the adversities of life. Pride comes before a fall is God's warning in Proverbs 16:18. Therefore, as believers, we must remember this weakness so that we can continue to avoid it and protect the holy witness of Christ in our lives.

Proverbs 12:9 reminds us to beware this sinful tendency.

The literal translation of Proverbs 12:9 is, “Better to be despised and a servant to him than to honour himself and is destitute of bread.”

A man is despised when he has nothing. The one who was despised the greatest in Israel was a servant or a bondman, i.e. a slave who had nothing. A slave had no right. He served his master, expecting nothing in return. He was at the mercy of his master. He could have entered a master’s house alone, and the master could give him a wife. If he had children, they and his wife belonged to the master and not to him. If the slave wanted to leave after his service, he would have to leave alone since he came alone. All slaves were at the mercy of their masters even though God had provided biblical guidelines in Exodus 21:1-11 on how the Israelites were to treat their slaves. Slavery was common in Israel. Slaves were not supposed to be badly treated in Israel.

We must not think of slaves in the Bible to be like the modern slavery of the past. In Western history, the slaves were abused and badly treated by their masters. They were beaten and treated worse than the animals. For slaves in the Bible, biblical guidelines were given for their protection. Even when slaves like Onesimus returned to Philemon during the Roman times, they were given very harsh treatment similar to the treatment received by slaves in Western history. Yet the Apostle Paul told Onesimus to return to his master. Paul taught Philemon, a Christian master, how he ought to care for his slave, especially a Christian slave.

In the Bible, some slaves were monetary-debt slaves. They entered into slavery for a season of time, depending on the amount of debt. Once the debt was paid in full, he was freed from slavery. Others became slaves because they were captured in battle. These were slaves for life. There were also slaves whose masters treated them well. If the masters treated their slaves well, slaves may choose to be willing slaves for life. And there were some who were born into slavery because their parents were slaves, as mentioned above.

Slaves were appropriately fed by their masters to keep them strong and healthy to work. They had no freedom, but at least they would be alive.

But the one who honours himself to save face and maintain a wealthy image at the expense of his life when he has no food is a fool! He would rather die of starvation, which is a most painful and slow death, than lose face in the eyes of man. Understandably, it is an extreme example cited here. However, when we think about the behaviour of man, we realize that many of us would hold on to pride instead of apologising so as to keep our jobs, have a peaceful home, or remain in a sound biblical church.

Pride is a deep and devastating self-inflicted wound. A proud person will hurt himself and the ones he loves. Have not leaders of countries started wars, killing tens of thousands because of their words and refusal to lose face? How many ruined relationships have we experienced because of pride? One party could have made the first move, and the relationship would have been healed, and the friendship or marriage would be restored. Instead, pride stood in the way like an irresistible self-constructed wall that only the prideful could dismantle. How many such walls have we built to ruin our lives and witness for Christ? All we needed to do was to humble ourselves even when others might despise us in the process. Is it not worth it if lives are saved, and the lives of others as well?

It is true that whatever the reason for a person to become a slave in Israel, society still had a low view of them. The right of a man to be free is of great importance to humanity. But man is born in sin. He is born a slave with sin as his master. Romans 6:16-23: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The word “servant” in the above passage refers to “a slave”. The wages of this master is death! Now that we are believers, we are servants to God, our new Master. He is a good Master! All believers are willing slaves of our good Master!

The world may despise us for our humility and being slaves, but it is better to be alive in Christ as a slave than to think that saving face is better and die in sin!